


Everything Stays

by ineedmysickfix



Series: Scottish Safehouse: Polychives Edition [1]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Pre-Relationship, S1 Polycule, Sasha James Lives, Tim Stoker Lives (The Magnus Archives), polychives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:27:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29183265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ineedmysickfix/pseuds/ineedmysickfix
Summary: 'Jon didn't move as his gaze was locked on the coffin, “S-Sasha,” he whispered.Tim stiffened and pushed himself off the doorframe, “What did you just say?” His voice low and warning.“I- I think Sasha’s in there.” Jon whipped around to face Tim, tears close to spilling over, “She’s in there, I know it. I Know it. I- And I’m going to fix this, Tim.”'What if Tim had survived the Unknowing? What if Sasha didn't die but was stuck in the Buried instead of Daisy? What if bad things still happened but at least no one died?
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Sasha James/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist/Tim Stoker, Pre Martin Blackwood/Sasha James/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist/Tim Stoker
Series: Scottish Safehouse: Polychives Edition [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2049723
Comments: 8
Kudos: 88





	Everything Stays

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write a fic about Sasha and Tim actually living and all of them escaping the institute. And there's really good headcanons of Sasha being the one in the coffin and one of the archival gang saving her. So of course I had to write this as a prelude to the Polychives Safehouse AU. Enjoy!

He thought...he thought destroying the table would bring her back but…

That _thing’s_ laugh cut through the stale air of Artefact Storage as Jon stood panting over the remnants of the table, his axe gripped tight with white knuckles, “Silly archivist. It’s too late for that now. She’s gone. You know I _was_ planning on killing her, but I ended up making a deal with a couple of funny little men so now she’s in a place you’ll never be able to save her from. They promised a fate far worse than death and they delivered.”

Jon could feel its presence over his shoulder and he blindly swung his axe before running. _No. No no no no no she **can’t** be gone...she can’t…_

* * *

It was surprising that everyone survived The Unknowing. Well, more or less. Basira and Daisy still technically couldn’t leave the archives but they stayed away as much as they could, tending to their wounds on their own terms. Melanie followed suit, the novelty and mystery of the institute long since dead.

And Tim...he survived. He honestly hoped that he wouldn’t but he did. A few burns and bruises from the blast but no permanent damage luckily. Though his relationship with Jon and even Martin was absolutely ruined, ever since losing Sasha. Jon had tried explaining what the Thing That Was Not Sasha had said, relaying it’s sickening words but Tim didn’t even try to listen. Sasha was gone, Danny was gone, but Tim was still there, stubbornly blaming Jon for it all.

Jon was the only casualty in the explosion, trapped in a coma where his whole body was practically useless apart from his mind. None of them had even thought to care about him. Martin and Georgie were the only ones who’d come to visit. But eventually, fed up with constantly losing his friends, Martin made a deal with the institute’s new head and soon Jon’s only visitor was Georgie.

Then he woke up. And he was all alone.

* * *

“Oi, there was a package for you or something.” Tim called out as he zoomed past Jon’s open office door.

He picked his head up from his desk and blinked sluggishly. _A package?_ His starved mind tried to cut through its hazy fog as he stood up and made his way out of his office. Tim was sat at his desk, leant back in his chair with his feet up and very pointedly avoiding everything by playing on his phone. Why he hadn’t left like everyone else was a mystery.

Jon cleared his throat yet his voice still came out ragged, “A- a package? For me?” Silence hung in the archive’s dusty air as Jon swayed slightly, waiting for Tim to acknowledge his presence.

After a minute of mindlessly tapping on his phone, Tim sighed and looked up, “Yeah, a package. Martin dropped it off. Or at least he left a note saying he left it here at some point. Apparently it was delivered here while you were…indisposed and it’s been sitting in document storage.”

“Oh. Th-thank you, Tim.” Tim paid Jon no mind as he lingered for a moment then turned to seek out this package. 

Jon had no idea what to expect but he was still taken aback when he opened the door to document storage and saw the coffin. He remembered this coffin, _Knew_ what it was. Dread took hold of Jon’s heart as he cautiously approached the wooden box. It was just how it’d been described in so many statements. Large, made of rough wood, a sturdy lock with the key still inside holding together the thick chain wrapped around the whole thing crossing over the words **DO NOT OPEN** carved manically into the front, and warm to the touch as Jon picked up an envelope with a sticky note attached to it. 

_’For: Jon’_ The small note began _’This was delivered for you on 3rd March. - Martin’_

Jon’s heart twinged at the familiar handwriting and he pocketed the note as he opened the envelope. _’Archivist. This coffin had been our burden for too long. All hope is lost so now she’s in your hands. Don’t be a Stranger, - B’_

The note fluttered out of Jon’s shaky grip as he stared at the coffin. _No..it couldn’t be…_ Footsteps fell on deaf ears as Tim walked up and leaned against the doorframe, lazily taking in the scene in front of him, “So what the hell is that thing doing here?”

Jon didn't move as his gaze was locked on the coffin, “S-Sasha,” he whispered.

Tim stiffened and pushed himself off the doorframe, “What did you just say?” His voice low and warning.

“I- I think Sasha’s in there.” Jon whipped around to face Tim, tears close to spilling over, “She’s in there, I know it. I Know it. I- And I’m going to fix this, Tim.”

A grating laugh filled the small room as a bright yellow door opened, revealing the Distortion now known as Helen, her smile impossibly wide as her gaze bore into Jon, “Hello, Archivist and friend. I couldn’t help but notice that you may need some _assistance_ at the moment. And I’m more than happy to help.”

* * *

Two missing ribs and a warning from Tim telling him to _come back no matter what_ later found Jon unlocking the coffin and descending its stairs. All light was immediately cut off the further in Jon got. The walls closed in around him to the point where he could barely get by. The stairs angled and changed until it no longer was declining and Jon found himself crawling against sodden dirt. 

Time and space had no meaning there. He’d try calling out for Sasha several times only to be met with muffled moans and cries for help. His limbs ached with every inch he moved forward, his throat raw and worn, how long has he been without water? Without food? Without seeing the light or anyone else?

He wanted to leave. He could feel the grips of the Buried sink into his skin and he Knew that if he left soon he could escape its grip. But he couldn’t leave. Not without Sasha. “Sasha…” Jon’s voice was nearly gone and he was close to turning around when he heard a familiar cry.

“J-Jon?” The voice, though still sounding slightly foriegn to his ears, filled Jon’s chest with hope and he scrambled forward, rushing until he was face to face with the voice’s source.

“Sasha.” The face in front of him blurred against the tears streaming from his eyes and he reached forward, grabbing Sasha’s hand and squeezing as tight as he could, “I-I found you.”

* * *

Tim paced anxiously in front of the open coffin, tape recorders scattered amongst the room after an impulsive decision he’d had the day before. Tim doubted that a single rib would be enough to guide Jon back. It’d been 74 hours since Jon stupidly decided to go into the coffin without so much as a coherent plan and Tim was stuck with nothing to do but wait. 

_”I Know she’s in there,” he’d said, “As long as I have an anchor I can go in and get her.”_

Tim anxiously stared at the coffin and tried not to cry. How could he just let Jon go in there? He might’ve Known Sasha was in there but… there was no guarantee that they’d even be able to get out. Sasha was gone and Martin had left and now after waking up from his coma, Jon had decided to be a martyr and leave too. Now Tim was alone again and it was his fault and how was he going to explain Jon’s disappearance to-

There was a noise from within the coffin. Shuffling dirt that gave way to thumping footsteps. Tim held his ground, a bat in hand as he watched a hand shoot out from the coffin. Tim had his weapon ready when Jon poked his head out, “Tim!” He smiled wildly “I- I-”

“T-Tim?” Tim froze as another figure appeared from the coffin. With Jon’s help the two struggled out and sprawled across the floor, their hands still entwined. 

“Sasha?” Sasha, _their_ Sasha. She smiled and Tim leapt forward, pulling both of them into a bone crushing hug. “Oh god, oh god you’re back. Sasha oh my god.” Tears mixed with the caked dirt that clung to Sasha and Jon’s skin and the three of them laid on the floor, crying and holding onto one another as tightly as possible, scared of what would happen if any of them let go.

* * *

An email about maintenance required in the breakroom. An email regarding institute funding. An email about another meeting that Peter had canceled at the last second. Junk mail. Martin clicked his mouse absentmindedly in his office. The only sounds in the room being the low hum of his computer and the insistent ticking of the wall clock. Yet another quiet, uneventful day.

“Martin!” Jon practically tackled the office door open. He looked absolutely terrible if Martin put it politely. 

“Jon? I thought I told you to stop bothering me. I need to work on this, it's for your own good now please-”

“I found Sasha!" That got Martin's attention. "She was in the coffin mentioned in statements #9982211, #0160112, and #0180303 which belongs to the Buried but then Helen told me that if I got my ribs removed by Jared Hopworth they could work as an anchor so that I could go in and get her because she was put in there by Not Sasha after she had replaced her and- and-” Martin watched helplessly as Jon’s legs gave out and he collapsed bonelessly onto the floor.

“Shit,” Martin was up and at Jon’s side instantly. He laid Jon flat on his back and brought his head onto his lap, hoping the elevation would help wake him up sooner so he could explain whatever the hell he was just talking about.

“Jon!” Footsteps echoed through the hallway and soon Martin saw Tim running toward his office holding…

“Sasha?” Martin watched as Tim crouched next to Martin and let go of Sasha who started to check over Jon. She looked about as dirty and exhausted as Jon, if not more so. “Sasha? What-? Jon said that you were buried in a coffin? How-”

“This stupid idiot thought it’d be a good idea to go and get you instead of resting.” Her voice sounded just like the one in the tapes Tim had found. It really was her. “He spent days trying to save me and yet he couldn’t even wait one minute before getting you.”

Martin stared dumbfounded as Tim and Sasha tended to Jon. His friends, the ones he wanted to protect, the ones he loved. “We need to leave.”

Tim and Sasha looked up at Martin, both sporting confused expressions. “Martin. You know we can’t leave,” Tim said, his tone gentle as if explaining something to a child, “Jon can’t live without being here, he needs the statements. And Elias said-”

“Fuck Elias!” Martin felt familiar cold tendrils under his skin but he shook it off. He wasn't alone, not anymore, not if he could help it. “And fuck Peter, too! They could have a honeymoon trying to get us back for all I care but we all need to get out of here _now_.” 

“I have no idea what you two are on about but Martin’s right. We can’t stay here.” Sasha’s hand squeezed around Jon’s and they all collectively nod. Martin picked up Jon while Tim carried Sasha and the four of them made it to Martin’s car, stopping to grab whatever they could from the archives and their respective flats before driving out.

It wasn’t surprising that Daisy had a safehouse. Who knew how to hide efficiently better than the police. She gave them directions and the key to her Scotland cottage while Basira promised to post them statements for Jon. “There’s no phone or wifi or anything that could lead anyone to you,” Daisy had explained, “If you need anything just call us. There's a public phone in the nearby village that you could use. We’ll hold down the fort here.”

With that they drove, away from the institute, away from the fear, away from their old lives.

* * *

“Sasha!” Jon jolted awake, unaware of his surroundings. His back was sore from where he was slouched over his desk and he frantically looked around, trying to make out anything in the dark room. “Wha- What’s-”

“Hey, hey, hey, take it easy now.” Tim’s scarred hands entangled themselves in Jon’s unruly hair and Jon felt himself relax. “It’s alright, only me. We’re in Scotland, remember? Daisy’s cottage?”

“Tim? Wait, where’s-”

“Sasha and Martin are asleep, they turned in hours ago. You must’ve fallen asleep while reading a statement. Come on, let’s get you into an actual bed, yeah?” Jon let Tim take his hand and together they headed toward the small room that they all claimed as their own. 

Martin and Sasha were tangled together under a mountain of blankets and Jon couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. Tim led him to the bed and soon they found themselves in a large, comfortable cuddle pile. “G’night, Jon.”

Jon stared at the ceiling, familiar warmth encompassing him from all directions and he smiled. “Good night, loves.”

**Author's Note:**

> I know Jon breaking Martin out of the Lonely is the most Iconic thing in all of tma but I just thought that it'd be really good character development for him to see his friends and decide to leave himself. 
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think! Kudos and comments are always appreciated ~ <3


End file.
